You asked me what Fontaine is? Is it water? Is it a law? Is it a phantom? Is it a commission? Is it a reputation? Is it a person?
I said, it is a city soaked in water, a system on the water, a firework made from human feelings, a soft knife that you have to swallow, a daily task of brushing four every day, and when the system tells you “you are great”, you pretend to be indifferent but secretly happy about that little vanity
The first time I entered Fontaine, it was not to dream of being a hero, but because I was bored. Halfway through the main story, I was caught by this floating city – it is beautiful, the water is blue, the bridge is white, and the people are the kind of aloof who don’t smile or talk.
The moment I stepped into the Adventurer’s Association, Catherine glanced at me sideways, as if to judge whether I was valuable or not, and finally handed me four tasks, saying they were “daily”. Oh, daily? These days, whose daily life is not busy and serious, but in fact, the heart is a mess.
The first task is to dive and repair the device. The moment I jumped into the water, I felt like I was reborn. The water wrapped me up, just like youth wrapped up a first love, sticky, soft, and a little cold. When I was repairing parts underwater, it suddenly occurred to me: what we are repairing may not be the device, but the nerves of the city trusting you as an “outsider”. You move your fingers, and people will give you some feedback, just like when you post a circle of friends, someone likes it, and you live more vigorously.
The second task is to deliver court documents. To be honest, I did a lot of letter delivery when I was a kid. Every kid in the neighborhood was a messenger. But this time I wasn’t delivering a letter to anyone, but delivering iron-clad order to the court. The law is cold, but people are warm. You walk through the streets with a letter in your hand, encounter hawkers hawking their wares, and get your clothes wet by the mist. Suddenly you realize that you are participating in the rhythm of this city. You are not an audience, but a minor but important role.
The third task is to clear the phantoms. This job is a bit like emotional cleansing. Phantoms are not monsters, but obsessions hidden in the corners, and uneasiness under the water. When you chop them, it’s like chopping the distractions in your heart. After chopping, the place is quiet. You think the city is clean, but in fact you are clean.
After completing the four tasks, the system said: Reputation +1. I sneered, “It’s nonsense.” But the next second, I opened the panel again to see what I could exchange – props, materials, and teleporters. It turns out that even the most noble people can’t resist the feeling of being recognized.
You continue to do tasks and continue to increase your reputation. Slowly, the NPCs in the city begin to smile at you, start to greet you, and start to ask you to do more complicated things. Do you understand? The city is thoughtful. It doesn’t look at who you are, but what you do. If you help it overcome a few small difficulties, it will open the door for you.
I remember growing up in the alley when I was a child, and the trust between neighbors was built up by little things. You buy soy sauce for Lao Zhang’s family, and the next time his son comes to bully you, he will stand up to protect you. The same is true for Fontaine. Daily commissions are paving stones. In the end, you walk into people’s hearts.
So you ask me, are these tasks worth doing? I tell you: worth it. Not worth money, but worth heart.
In a virtual water city, you play a replaceable traveler, repeating “meaningless” things, but being recognized by the world little by little. Does this look like how you and I live in reality?
Isn’t it the desire of a person to be needed in this life? Whether it is a “reputation increase” from the system or a sincere look from the NPC, this recognition is the gap of life.
At night, I stood at the bridgehead of Fontaine, listening to the sound of water hitting the shore and the stars shining on the water. I thought to myself, this game is really wonderful, the wonderful thing is that it makes you think you have done nothing, but in fact you have entered someone else’s world.
You came to this city as a passer-by. As you do it, you become a resident.
Not all romance has to be grand and vigorous. Sometimes, four small tasks a day are the most stable tenderness in the world.